Beyond Here
by MommieJen
Summary: Very short little piece; introspectives about Face and his relationships with his team members. War era.
1. Hannibal

_Very short piece just because I was thinking about the relationship between Face and Hannibal. As usual, I don't own the ATeam, blah blah blah._

Trust.

Face trusted military order and needed, or rather craved, the peace that it brought to his soul. It was only through regiment and order he found any sort of peace with himself. Whether it was the pop-pop-pop of rapid gunfire, the cadence of the marches from training, or even in the chaos of lifting off in Murdock's chopper amid smoke and gunfire, life had order and rhythm. A hellish, nightmare-producing rhythm, but a rhythm none the less.

There was no doubt Face trusted Hannibal in the field. Not only was he quick to follow the orders, he was quick to execute the plans, quick to speak when they wouldn't work, and quick on his feet. It didn't take long for Hannibal to designate him 2IC of the team before it was even official. Face was flawless in the field and on the team.

But beyond the missions, when life as they knew it took a minute to settle down, Hannibal could see it. When they would return from a mission, filthy, tired, and battle-scarred, he could catch a glimpse. When the small talk turned into deep disucssions about girls back home or how they felt after their first kill and wondering if that feeling would ever really go away, Hannibal could read the flicker passing through Face's eyes. When they talked about how all they all wanted was to get out of this miserable war, Hannibal could see it. It was during these times that Hannibal listened much more than he spoke; he needed to know, to truly know, these young men. He needed to know what made them tick, what gave them drive. And when Face would slip and let him catch a glimpse of what was beyond the mask, he could see it. The panic on this young Lieutenant's face. This hellhole was all he had. These guys, this new team who worked better together by the day - this was all he had. Face had mentioned once - just once, after a few drinks - to Hannibal that there was no one waiting at home for him. No one. That's why Face gave all he could here in the war - he was not only determined to impress, to be the best, but he also didn't really care if he went home in a bag or not.

And Hannibal was determined to change that.


	2. Murdock

It was Murdock that he bonded to first. Murdock, the is-he-or-is-he-not-crazy pilot. While certainly not the first friend Face made in his life, he was nearly instantly the closest. They shared many commonalities - the most obvious one being the team, but beyond that, they shared the the loss of a mother. It wasn't something either of them discussed deeply, but when Face tested the waters with a "My mother left me when I was five," Murdock had simply nodded, blinked hard once or twice, and answered with a "My mom died when I was five. I know what it's like, muchacho." Then, without so much as a simple slap on the back, he went back to cleaning and reassembling his service weapon.

And just like that, the bond deepened. Little by little, it grew. If Face needed a partner in crime, it was alway Murdock. When Face stayed out too late fraternizing with the nurses, it was Murdock who would cover for him with Hannibal, even though Hannibal knew the truth. When Murdock disappeared one night, it was Face who found him just sitting in his chopper, staring blankly into the back, obviously too upset to talk about what happened that day. Face did nothing but just sit with him for the rest of the night, but he knew it was needed.

The first time it happened, it was pitch black when Murdock lowered the chopper smack dab in the middle of a hot lz, just skimming the ground enough for the three of them to pile in before rapidly rising high again out of range. "Thanks for saving my ass, Murdock!" Face yelled as they rose above the trees, all three of them firing out the sides of the Huey. And when Murdock howled and retorted, "No problem, brother!", it caught Face off guard. Hannibal and BA both pretended not to notice to look on their Lieutenant's face.

Forged in the fires of hell and war, the bond of brothers. Now and forever.


End file.
